It has for decades been recognized (Rhodes U.S. Pat. No. 2,972,922) that in an electromechanical piano of the asymmetrical tuning-fork type, there should be a high degree of isolation of each fork from the underlying support. However, how to achieve such isolation while still creating enough support that the instrument may be highly portable--for example in the automobiles of professional musicians--has been the subject of much research. For example, the ultimate compromise between isolation and adequate support was thought to have been achieved (Rhodes U.S. Pat. No. 3,384,699, FIGS. 14 and 15) by cantilevering the high-mass leg of the fork through use of two spaced screws and associated resilient means. Such a manner of mounting remains the ultimate in the great majority of tuning forks of each piano, but a distinct problem exists relative to the high-pitched forks. This problem is dwell time, or "sustain". At the high end of an eighty-eight key electromechanical piano, or even of a seventy-three key electromechanical piano, the dwell or sustain is only a small fraction of a second after the low-mass tine or reed has been struck by the hammer.
There exists a major need to increase this dwell time to a second or more while still maintaining sufficient ruggedness to permit the instrument to be shipped from the factory to the dealer, and also transported from place to place throughout the lifetime of the instrument.